SO EXACTLY WHO IS THIS OTHER SISTER RUNNING FOR MAYOR?

In short, she has a long and impressive background. Watkins has spent the last 30 + years as a public servant. As the founder and CEO of the Target Area Development Corp., she grew a budget from $10,000 to $3 million and generated hundreds of jobs. She also shepherded passage of landmark criminal justice legislation through the Illinois legislature by uniting states attorneys and the ex-offenders they prosecuted.

Watkins also taught residents how to empower themselves by staking out corners and peaceably banishing drug-dealers from their neighborhoods. Her legacy of public service doesn’t stop there. Watkins has worked for decades to improve education by recruiting more diversity to the teaching profession and promoting efforts to reduce violence in our schools.

Needless to say Dr. Patricia Watkins has been committed to “we the people.” Not the establishment. Not a specific political party. Not one race, group, union or organization. She simply wants what is best for the citizens and communities of our great city. But now that she’s running for mayor, her message has been almost completely ignored. You would think she’s some kind of peon out here just trying to detract from the process. But that is not the case. She is a legitimate candidate whose voice deserves to be heard.

So why (until just recently) has the media almost completely ignored her message? Why has she literally been shut out from participating on the major candidate debates?

The only answer I’ve been able to get from the organizers of one of the upcoming debates is that “she’s not showing up in the polls” and “we can’t just have everybody in on the debates…” Huh???? So you mean you are having a mayoral debate featuring the candidates but not all of the candidates will be featured??? How can someone “show up” in the polls if they’re platform isn’t given any publicity via the news media? Why is it that an outsider like Rahm Emmanueal is annointed and basically chosen for Chicagoans by the media? That makes no sense. In fact, it is a complete infringement upon the right of chicagoans to hear and get to know the candidates that they have to choose from in this election.

By not allowing Van-Pelt Watkins to participate, the media and debate organizers are trampling on democracy as we know it. If citizens of Chicago don’t raise their voices and demand that the media and mayoral debate organizers allow all legitimate candidates to have their say, they might as well get ready for more corruption, more cronyism, more shady contract deals, more homelessness, less opportunities for hard-working people and more business as usual in our “world-class city.”

February 22, 2011 will be a game-changing election day here in Chicago. Chicagoans must decide if they truly want a city that works for everyone or just for the chosen few. I believe that our silence about the shut-out of lesser known but no less qualified candidates will bring us exactly what we deserve: more of the same warmed-over and oppressive policies that only work to the benefit of the elite. This is an election to get fired up about. We’ll see if citizens are courageous enough to send a powerful message that Chicago truly is ready for change.

There’s never enough time to cover all the news I’d like to on the Monique Caradine Show. Therefore, I’m offering you these links to the stories that caught our attention this week. If you’re interested in looking at these stories from a deeper, more unique point of view, check these out:

Media outlets all over the country have weighed in on Illinois’ recent tax hike. Some believe it’s potential crushing effect will send businesses (and subsequently, jobs) running for the hills to get out of the state. Here’s what the Wall Street Journal had to say about it.

We were able to discuss Chicago’s upcoming mayoral race and the candidacy of Carol Moseley Braun. Here are two great takes on her chances of winning:

Gaper’s Block offers an unbiased take on CMB and the other candidates in the race for Chicago mayor. Check it out.

And last but not least, Chicago’s ABC7 is feverishly working to develop a brand new show that would replace Oprah once her show leaves the air this coming fall. They’ve hired a team of producers who have worked with some of the biggest names in TV including Phil Donohue and Jane Pauley. They are also considering some notable Chicagoans as possible hosts of the new show. As I figure out how to get MY name into consideration you can get the details of that story here.

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